Love Blooming In The Time Of Chivalry
by EnchantedCinderella
Summary: Guinevere is arranged to be married to a prince she has never met, in order to join their two kingdoms to prevent troubles. Someone doesn't want their sacred union to happen. Will love become true for these two?
1. Chapter 1 The Arrangement

_I do not own any rights to the TV show 'Merlin', nor do I claim to own any. This is simply a fan fiction- purely entertainment, based on the actual show. _

Guinevere was pacing around the beautiful rose garden, admiring the freedom the roses had, just blooming and relaxing in the sunlight. They didn't have anywhere to go and only one simple job to do and that was to make the garden look picturesque.

The roses didn't have to worry about marrying someone they were arranged to marry when they were just still a child.

No, all they had to do was look pretty.

When Guinevere was a young princess she didn't spend most of her time at parties like her friends, she was always off on her own trying to find adventure in the forests but when times became tough, her parents forbade her to go off without someone escorting her- for fear that she would be captured by bandits and hold for ransom.

This really aggravated her, how was she supposed to find adventure when a guard was by her side at all times?

Most days, she'd prefer to stay inside plaiting her long chocolate brown hair or wondering the castle in the hopes of finding a secret passage she'd not discovered before.

Eventually, she got so bored of doing the same thing, that she snuck out of the palace in the dark of the night and rode into the forest on her little horse Lila.

That was an eerie night. The forest was very quiet, no animals were scurrying around hunting anything, no wind brushed past the tree and not even moonlight shone through. Unfortunately for Guin, it was the perfect night that bandits from a far away kingdom could possibly decide they would invade another kingdom.

Guin wasn't too worried about bandits, she felt she was able to take care of herself, she wouldn't let her maids dress her nor would she let the chef cook for her. Her parents were always too busy to really notice her, so she took matters into her own hands and taught herself everything possible by the time she turned 10. Of course she could have never prepared herself for what was to come.

It wasn't bandits that she heard trotting through the woods, it was men yes but they were on the hunt for bandits- at least they were. One of them had been injured, their horse was startled by a fox and it ran off, bucking its rider as it went. The men were now looking for help. Guin spotted them and before she could hide they called out to her.

"Hello?" One of the men called out as he hopped off his horse, shining his torch as he did. "Who's there?" He asked. "I am Uther Pendragon from Camelot and I command that you show yourself" The man demanded, walking closer to Guin who hadn't moved an inch and surprisingly neither did her horse.

The torch shone onto Lila and Guin, and it was revealed to Uther that she was just a child.

"Little girl, we are in need of help, is there somewhere around here we can find a healer?" Uther asked Guin.

"Why are you in my parents' kingdom?" Guin asked curiously.

"Your parents' kingdom? Who are you dear child?" Uther wondered.

"I am Princess Guinevere sir, of Cornwall." Guin explained bravely, she knew he and his knights were not supposed to be here anyway so why should she be the coward?

"Ah yes, I have heard of you. Please, one of my knights is injured and we need help. Can you take us to your castle?" Uther quickly asked, he had no time to waste, not if one of his own was in need of help.

"Alright, but you ruined my outing." Guin pouted, folding her arms and turning her head away to begin leading them.

"Your outing? You look a little to young to be out here on your own, especially at this time of night, who knows what trouble you may have gotten into." Uther raised one eyebrow at her in curiousness.

"I can take care of myself thank you very much" Guin frowned.

She led the knights and their King to her home, where she found her parents awake and alert looking around for her.

"My darling, where on earth have you been?" Guin's mother Isadora ran over to her daughter and hugged her, noticing she was covered in mud and that there were a horde of men right behind her. Isadora recognized Uther.  
>"Uther Pendragon, fancy seeing you around these parts" She stood up and faced him.<p>

"Isadora Cassius of Cornwall, as wonderful it is to see you after all these years, I have come to ask your help. My knights and I were on the hunt to capture bandits when one of us were injured falling off a runaway horse, all we need is a healer to help him and then we'll be on our way." Uther explained. "We found your daughter playing in the woods, she got us here, she's very intelligent."

"Her father and I will talk to her in a moment, for now, I'll show you what you seek my lord." Isadora said, glancing at her daughter hinting for her to go up to her room and get cleaned up.

Uther's knight Agravaine was being treated by their healer. Isadora and her husband Thomas were speaking to Uther outside in the hall.

"How long has it been? 15 years or so I believe?" Isadora asked Uther. "Our parents were such good friends, if only things were similar these days, but life changes and sometimes things get hard."

"I understand, which is why I have an idea I'd like to mention" Uther began. "Your daughter, she's about 10,11 right?"

"Yes she is" Thomas answered.

"My son Arthur is around that age himself, one day in the future he will become King and he will need a suitable wife. As your daughter seems to be a mature and clever girl at her age I'd imagine she'd make a wonderful wife for someone one day." Uther explained.

"What are you leading towards?" Isadora asked.

"I am curious as to whether you would like to have our children join our kingdoms one day, it would certainly stop a lot of the troubles that have been brewing lately." Uther said as calm as could be.

"Are you talking about an arranged marriage?" Isadora questioned his idea.

"Yes, yes I am" Uther concluded.


	2. Chapter 2 The Beginning Of The Plan

_I do not own any rights to the TV show 'Merlin', nor do I claim to own any. This is simply a fan fiction- purely entertainment, based on the actual show. _

Agravaine awoke to find his arm in a sling and a throbbing headache. He remembered instantly that he fell of his horse- his lousy horse that was unreliable.

_"Stupid horse..."_ He thought to himself. As he tried to get up off the bed he heard voices outside, they were talking about wedding arrangements or something that sounded a lot like it. If it were wedding arrangements and they were to do with Uther's son Arthur, then he would not be pleased.  
>Agravaine was Uther's brother and he envied the fact that Uther became king instead of him. Just because Uther was the eldest and apparently more responsible. Thankfully Uther had made his brother a knight. Agravaine had planned for some time to find a way to take over the kingdom but he was still on the road to planning it.<p>

Outside, Isadora had just been informed of Uther's idea that they join kingdoms through the marriage of their children. She wasn't too sure of the idea of giving her daughter away to a prince that neither of them had met before. Gwen would not be very receptive to the idea of an arranged marriage but if it would put the kingdom out of turmoil then they didn't have much of a choice. Isadora didn't want her kingdom to fall.

"I will talk to Gwen, I'm sure she'll understand" Isadora smiled at Uther.

"Thank you Isadora, I will do the same with Arthur, he probably needs a little bit more persuading" Uther explained. "I'd better check on Agravaine"

Agravaine quickly moved from the door and sat on the bed, pretending he'd heard nothing, when in fact he heard everything.

Uther walked in and saw his brother moaning from the pain from his arm. "How are you feeling brother?"

"A little lethargic and sore but I am a strong man, a broken arm won't break me" Agravaine chuckled.

"We will be staying the next few nights, I trust you will be comfortable riding on the horse with me on the way home?" Uther asked.

"I'll be fine with that" He agreed.

The whole time that Uther had been talking to Isadora, Agravaine had been eavesdropping and had already come up with a plan. He wasn't going to go for the kill, killing his brother or his nephew- no. He would make Guinevere feel what love is like so she would not be happy with an arranged marriage. It was the perfect plan to cause both kingdoms to fall, then of course he could go for the kill eventually when nobody cared.

Later the next morning, Guinevere was called down to the dining hall earlier than usual. She had the maid dress her this time, in a quaint little purple gown and her hair hung low off her shoulders.

"Ah my darling Gwen" Isadora said when her daughter arrived in the room. The knights and their king were seated around the table preparing to eat the breakfast laid out for them. Gwen sat down in-between her father Thomas and Agravaine. "Good morning my sweet" Isadora said smiling.

"Morning mother, father...and everybody else." She mumbled.

"Gwen, we have something to talk to you about..." Isadora said, sipping her freshly squeezed orange juice.

"What is it?" Gwen shook some salt on her hard boiled egg and took a bite.

"Your father and I have decided that it is in the best interests of our kingdom that you and Uther's son Arthur, shall be wed when you have both turned 21." Isadora explained.

Gwen looked at her parents, stunned. "What?"

"We have planned a marriage for you in 11 years, to keep the kingdom safe." Thomas said.

"I know what you said...I just don't see how it's fair." Gwen stormed off out of the hall and up to her bed chamber.

Agravaine sat, smiling, his plan was already in action.

The next 5 years were tough on Gwen, she had to study hard to be a proper royal, she had to visit nobles and watch her mother and father deal with problems that occurred, she had to have her horse trained to be stronger and tougher and she was also taught to hunt animals with her father. It wasn't the ideal life for her, she wanted most of all to be free. To do what she wanted to do. Meet somebody and fall in love, not wait for someone who she was not allowed to meet, for reasons unknown. Apparently one of the knights of Uther's said it wasn't a good idea they met earlier- just in case they didn't like each other at all.

Gwen didn't want to wait for someone who could be as arrogant and shallow as most of the princes she'd met at parties.

It was midday and Gwen was taking her horse Lila back to the stables to rest before they rode. She was startled to find a young boy about her age, wondering around in there.

"Hello, who are you?" She asked.

"My name is Lancelot, I believe you are Guinevere" He smiled, brushing back dark hair from his face.

"Uh yes, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you" She replied shyly. "What is your business here?"

"I came to collect a horse, Queen Isadora has asked my father to treat him" He replied."My father is very good with animals'

"I love animals. I take it you are a servant?" She asked shyly.

"Yes but I don't mind it. You must be Lady Guinevere." He stated, brushing fur off his tattered shirt.

"Yes, unfortunately. There are days I wish I was not royalty." She confessed.

"Why's that may I ask?"

"Because then I would be able to choose who I marry, to choose what I wear, to choose what I eat and go where I please"

"At least you have the choice of clothing and food." Lancelot sighed.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was saying." Gwen covered her mouth.

"It's alright your highness, I know what you meant, I just don't see how you can hate something that would be perfect in my world"

"How about we go for a walk?" Gwen suggested. "And it's 'Gwen'" She smiled as they walked down through the meadow.


End file.
